Pandora ads wield the power of music

The power of music

Regardless of personal taste, it’s likely difficult to disagree with the idea that music can have some pretty powerful mojo. Its effects on the brain have been the subject of countless studies, which in turn have led to several products which are said to contain “brain-enhancing” tunes.

One of the primary neural functions music is said to enhance is memory. Well, looks like Internet radio O.G. Pandora may be able to use that to sell their ad services to companies looking to market their products.

Apparently your favorite music helps you remember

Adweek reports that Pandora recently hired neuromarketing company Neuro-Insight to test how effective their ads are. Neuro-Insight proceeded to measure the brain activity of 100 individuals while they listened to about 30 minutes of their own personalized playlists with the occasional ad between songs.

The results of the study showed that the ads spliced between songs had a significantly higher impact on the participants’ long-term memories compared to other popular forms of advertising.

Broken down, they had a 49% higher impact than those featured in terrestrial radio, 39% higher than mobile video ads, and 36% better than T.V. ads. Pandora’s video ads had a higher impact as well, faring 5% better than mobile video ads from competing platforms.

A unique experience

The reasoning for this seems to be primarily related to the highly personalized musical experience that Pandora offers. It is well known that music can stir up emotion, and that, combined with the fact that listeners are able to decide the type of music that plays on their Pandora station, creates a somewhat more intimate experience than that of a typical radio station or T.V. channel.

As such, the brain is more likely to prioritize the information it receives at this time and store it accordingly.

Whether the memories be explicit (such as remembering specific details of the brand) or implicit (a vague recognizance of a product), they are much more likely to affect consumer choices. After all, one is much more likely to purchase from a brand they recognize than one they do not- unless the product sucks, of course.

Using the numbers

Pandora is likely to use the results of the study to help drive its advertising revenue, however, there are takeaways from this that are applicable to all businesses.

For starters, they show that videos may not always be the most effective form of advertising.

Audio and graphic ads are still very much relevant and effective. Similarly, it shows how important it is to know when to advertise. It is unnecessary and ineffective to barrage consumers with advertisements to the point of tedium. [clickToTweet tweet=”We all wait for the ‘Skip this ad’ button and frantically click it before every other YouTube video.” quote=”We can all relate to waiting for the ‘Skip this ad’ button and frantically clicking it before every other YouTube video.”] Sometimes, subtlety is key.

**Also, I would like to note how neat it is that neuromarketing companies are a thing. Well played, science.

#MusicMakesYouRemember